Lowe’s recently ended Flex’s cordless power tool promotions a month early, and has been pulling inventory off their sales floors.
With the deal, which was supposed to end on 1/31/24, you could buy a select Flex cordless power tool and receive a free bonus tool or accessory.
A Lowe’s store associate reported on the stop-sale, with other saying Flex was “restricted from sale,” they “pulled so much Flex today,” and “so that’s why there are carts full of Flex tools in receiving.”
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I asked both Lowe’s and Flex to comment about the “stop-sale.” In my inquiry to Flex, I also asked if this was related to the “leaking batteries” customers are complaining about on social media and YouTube.
Lowe’s has not yet replied to my inquiry.
Flex says:
The partner in question is currently refreshing the FLEX assortment with focus on our industry leading Stacked Lithium Battery Technology and new Compact Series.
By Compact Series, they’re referring to the Flex cordless power tools that were announced in January 2023 with spring 2023 availability.
This strikes me as highly unusual.
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As part of my research for a different potential story, I started looking at recent financial reports of publicly-traded companies, to see how they’re doing as we enter 2024.
Chervon, Flex’s parent company, issued a mid-year report on 9/26/2023:
For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Group’s largest customer and five largest customers accounted for approximately 32.0% and 59.0% (six months ended June 30, 2022: 41.1% and 63.6%) respectively of the Group’s total revenue.
Lowe’s carries Chervon’s Skil, Ego, and Flex brands, and Chervon is also an OEM for Kobalt 24V cordless power tools. It’s reasonable to presume that Lowe’s is Chervon’s largest retail customer.
Chervon’s North America revenue for the same 6-month period was said to be $485 million out of $739 million overall, down from $696 million out of $1.00 billion overall for the same period in 2022.
The product category breakdown is interesting – Chervon had $286 million in power tools revenue (from the same $739 million overall) for the first 6 months of 2023, compared to $401 million for the same period in 2022. They also reported a decrease in the outdoor power tools segment.
We reported on Lowe’s Black Friday 2023 tool deals, and I was extremely surprised that Lowe’s did not include Flex or Skil products in the sales flyer.
In November 2023, Flex’s parent company issued a profit warning to investors. They said that:
for the first ten months ended October 31, 2023 (the “Period”) and information currently available, the Group expects to record a decrease in its net profit by approximately 80%… [compared to] the corresponding period in 2022.
They attributed this to multiple factors, including:
a decline in revenue caused by more conservative inventory policies adopted by the Group’s key customers facing macroeconomic uncertainties
I recently reported that Lowe’s stores were full of holiday tool deal inventory in December.
A Flex marketing representative has affirmed that the brand’s initial assortment [of cordless power tools] will still be “available in the market both in store and online through many retailers.”
So while Lowe’s is “discontinuing some of the original SKUs” and transitioning to Flex’s Stacked Lithium batteries and compact tools that launched in early 2023, Flex is not.
To be clear, nothing is being made obsolete on our side.
Let’s summarize everything so far:
i) Flex’s parent company reported lower revenue for the first 6 months of 2023 compared for the same period in 2022.
ii) Several months later, they issued a profit warning.
iii) Lowe’s did not advertise any Flex deals in their official Black Friday sales flyers – at least not that I saw in any of the ones I downloaded and analyzed from Lowe’s website in November.
iv) In late December, Lowe’s associates pulled promotional inventory from stores, and the same tools were removed from the lowes.com website, more than a full month before the deals were set to expire.
This all seems highly usual to me.
If such a reset or refresh was planned for December 2023, why did Lowe’s set the promotion to expire on 1/31/24?
Or, why didn’t they discount the outgoing tools rather than sweep them out of Lowe’s stores and off the website, similar to what they did at the start of the year to clear out remnant Stack Pack tool box inventory?
When Chervon launched their Flex 24V Max line of cordless power tools, the tools – Lowe’s exclusives at the time – were described as being more powerful than competitors’ and delivering “the absolute best in terms of power, runtime, and recharge time.”
They promised “unrivaled power,” and features such as turbo modes and anti-kickback tech.
It seems that it’s some of those same tools and batteries that have now been discontinued at Lowe’s stores, and Lowe’s is focusing on Flex’s compact tools.
Cordless power tool refreshes do happen on occasion.
I suppose this means “unrivaled power” is out, and compact (for a 24V class power tool) is in.
But what would you think if Home Depot stripped Milwaukee M18 Fuel flagship cordless combo kits from their stores and website a month before the best deals of the year were set to end?
Or, what if Home Depot removed Dewalt 20V Max Atomic series cordless power tools from their stores and website?
Would either of those scenarios be “business as usual”?
So far no one at Flex has answered any my questions about the “leaking batteries” issue that’s been reported on social media and YouTube.
I don’t think that’s related, as s potential issue with older-style batteries wouldn’t drive Lowe’s to “discontinue some of the original SKUs.”
Maybe Lowe’s executives shopped at Home Depot over the holiday season, saw how well Dewalt PowerStack and Milwaukee Forge deals were selling, and said “give us more of that!”
Pairing the Stacked Lithium batteries with compact – and lighter duty – tools might be a way to keep costs competitive and appealing.
I can’t tell you what all this means, or if there are additional pieces to the puzzle that I missed, but none of it seems typical.
Thoughts?
Tim
Lowes has a confusing relationship with the brands they have. They move in and out brands so often and for such short periods of time it’s almost annoying to watch.
See: Flex Stack, Klein Modbox, Toughbuilt Stacktech.
Then look at their tool offerings. They have two house brands in Craftsman and Kobalt, neither of these brands offer particularly premium tools.
They carry DeWalt but not Flexvolt and usually not the top teir tools.
They carry Flex but are moving away from the top teir tools to “compact” homeowner style stuff.
They carry Bosch but none of the big bad boy tools, only homeowner grade stuff and they put it on clearance most of the time.
They carry Metabo HPT but not any of the 36v or high end tools, only the compact 18v tools for the most part.
They used to carry Metabo but never any of the good grinders or cordless stuff. Usually just the 12v line or bargain style 18v kits.
My guess is they’re jumping off of Flex in part because of the battery issues and in part because they sell more homeowner grade tools and probably because they’re moving in some other “premium” type offering like a Klein-Dewalt system we don’t know about or something from Toughbuilt or someone else.
JVT
Preach! I’ve been profiting since they keep randomly clearing out the Metabo Hpt stuff I use, but it’s a really silly business model. And it’s not helping the alternate brands maintain traction, Bosch and Metabo Hpt make great tools, it’s a shame they don’t have better retail partners.
AB
I work at Lowe’s. We sell 0 Flex. No one buys it at all around here. I wish we would use the floor space for a brand we already carried, like Bosch or Metabo
Bob
Yup. “Confusing relationship” is an excellent description.i stopped buying tools after buying a power drill set. 6 weeks later charger goes out.non repairable. No replacement available. Discontinued.Factory and store would not replace. Had to throw away drill and battery.
I now buy elsewhere.
Robert
Hate corporate speak.
Philip John
I do like lowes though. Up here in Canada lowes has given up on competition in the north. If you think lowes is confused … take a look at Rona. Or Rona plus. They went from big box store to small stores and now took over from lowes big box stores again. They have what Home depo and lowes have in stock… but always more expensive. I will never understand lowes, Rona, target or any other company who can’t hack it the way Home depo does in Canada.
Joe
I used to find it was more expensive too, but go figure – if you have VIP Pro it’s often cheaper (5% off everything, 10% off paint). Some random things are better at one or the other. I scored the 10″ metabo mitre saw for $99, down from 199, and got a generator at half off.
Rona+ carries ABS fittings made in Canada, Home Depot carries Chinese-made Lesso parts. Rona’s hand tools all kind of suck compared to Empire and Husky, but randomly you’ll find gems.
Adam
After putting plenty of time in retail, I can’t stand when they pull a promo early, at least when they clearly still have inventory.
When a promo is supposed to last 3 months, giving someone time to plan to purchase, its unfortunate to see them removed.
I’ve had luck at HD honoring promos, at least if you have a picture of the sign along with the end date. Usually they only pull promos a day or 2 early.
Stuart
I’ve seen holiday promos end early, and I’ve also seen them sell out. This has been the first time I have ever seen a tool promo end early because a retailer decided not to sell the tools anymore.
Jared
I wonder about the agreement terms between Lowes and Flex – or maybe Lowes and the brands they sell generally. Maybe Lowes negotiates for short termination periods and to be able to return unsold inventory to the brand. That would allow Lowes to rapidly abandon the relationship if things aren’t selling as well as they hoped.
That could explain why things might look odd to consumers yet make sense for Lowes – e.g. continuing to “clearance” out stock might not make them enough profit to justify tying up floor space for a couple more months.
Harrison
I honestly think there are limits to how many mainstream brands you can have in the market at one time. I don’t doubt the quality or performance of the Flex product, I just don’t really see why the average person should care. From a pro perspective they just don’t have the distribution or back catalogue of legacy products and accessories, consumables etc to support the tools.
You can’t just make up a brand out of thin air (for North America anyways) and expect it to compete with the big dogs. It takes decades. They would have had better luck unifying ‘Skil’ and ‘SKILSAW’ back into one premium brand, and selling all the Flex stuff under that label. At least SKIL has history and actually means something to most North Americans… The brand is almost a generic term for ‘circular saw’, it’s very under-utilized.
Anyways, I’ve always been a Flex skeptic, none of this is surprising.
If I was a Lowe’s customer I’d trust Kobalt more. They’ve kept that brand around for a while now, the power tools always get decent reviews for what they are.
Tony
Think the skill brand died in people’s hearts a few years back, we remember cheap nasty drills and grinders.
Harrison
They could bring it back with a solid lineup of decent products, everyone loves a comeback story. Their premium SKILSAW wormdrive stuff is all very solid, and would have been a great stylistic starting point for a new lineup of premium grey/red 24v Skil tools.
Don’t forget other brands have been through some rough times- Before M18, Milwaukee was hardly in a great place.
JAMES Paul ELLISON
Skil makes Amazon’s delali brand now
Joe
FLEX absolutely has a legacy catalogue. FLEX has been a leading brand, particularly in stone and vehicle polishing, for decades.
Anyone who is informed about power tool brands knows that many of the FLEX tools in Lowe’s are simply 24V versions of red FLEX German tools. Take a look at a red jig Saw and Multi-Tool, then take a look at the grey ones. They are the same tools.
If you ever watch Project Farm on You Tube, you will see that Milwaukee and Flex are crushing DeWalt, Makita (sadly), etc. in the categories of Multi-Tools, circular saws, grinders, etc.
So yes, the average person like me absolutely cares that Lowe’s is limiting the FLEX tools they carry. Despite most of my cordless tools being Milwaukee, Makita and German Metabo. I love the FLEX tools I have and planned on getting more of them.
Stuart
Chervon acquired Flex in 2013.
Are you referring to legacy tools that preceded that acquisition, or tools developed by the same team that works on Skil and Flex in the USA?
Why wouldn’t they develop tools for Flex in Europe and then launch the same tools for Flex in the USA but slightly higher voltage?
Eric
They’re two different tiers of product that aren’t really in direct competition. Kobalt for the consumer and Flex for the pro and prosumer. They’re also both manufactured by Chevron.
Hon Cho
Quick Correction: Chervon = Tools, Chevron = Petroleum Products. Easy mistake to make.
Brian Miller
Mainstream brands? Lowe’s has DeWalt. That’s where is ends. I’ve never seen a human use metabo, craftsman, skil, flex, or kobalt tools on the job site. It’s pathetic that I have to drive out of my way to get a serious tool when there is a Lowe’s 10 min away.
Alan
I use Metabo HPT for all my cordless tools , which is 9 different ones (mix of 18v and 36v). I used to run DeWalt and I consider Metabo HPT an upgrade from DeWalt. Their cordless nailers (framing, finish, brad)are phenomenal…I don’t run air compressors anymore and for that I am grateful.
David Brock
On serious welding jobs like retubing a boiler Metabo is one of the preferred grinders.
MM
You beat me to it, Metabo grinders are common in steel fab shops in my area. They are one of the few brands of grinder the local welding specialist shops carry. They also make a lot of specialty grinders and sanders specifically intended for cleaning up welds.
Joe
Sorry Brian, but you are just not that well informed about tools. A FLEX grinder, circular saw, multi-tool, jig saw, etc. will out perform DeWalt.
Just check out Project Farm on YouTube. You can poopoo FLEX all you want, does not change the fact that they have a long history and have been a top tier German brand for decades. And currently, while they are owned by a Chinese company (so is Milwaukee by the way), they have not abandoned the German engineering behind them.
Greg
I agree 100%. I did buy into the Flex brand to replace my very old cordless set of Craftsman Professional 20V tools, mainly influenced by all the hype at the time. Now that I need to add to collection, I can’t find anything I need. The Lowe’s shelves are all but void of Flex tools. Like so many others, I should have gone with Dewalt…or any of the others!
IronWood
This is why I’d never take a chance on a new brand when good established ones are plentiful. And exclusive to Lowe’s? No way. Lowe’s does the weirdest stuff regarding their brands and stock, I’ve never liked them.
Stuart
Flex isn’t exclusive to Lowe’s anymore – you can now find their products at a couple of independent online retailers.
S
…which is a perfect example of their lack of marketing/brand awareness.
If a few tool obsessives believe it’s a house brand, the sentiment likey runs far deeper than imagined
A W
The image above literally says “Flex Exclusively at Lowe’s”.
So either their marketing or Lowe’s marketing intended to sell it as a Lowe’s exclusive.
IronWood
That’s what I saw too. I mean what are they doing? I know you can get Flex at a couple online sellers, but you can buy Ryobi online a few places and they’re HD “exclusive.” So Flex sure still looks like a Lowe’s house brand to me.
TonyT
Only authorized US Ryobi dealers are HD and DirectToolsOutlet (for refurbished and factory blemished)
Mopar4wd
If I recall it was exclusive with Lowes for 6 months to a year as an intro.
Danny wert
Flex is coming back out next month after fixing battery issues. But having said that, I still won’t buy flex. Kobalt is produced by flex as well as skill. That just leaves Bosch a d Dewalt. Now, Bosch profactor line- up in my opinion is way better than Dewalt. Bosch also makes the best rotary tool corded and cordless. Another bonus is that there is always a representative available to answer all of your needs.
Mike
I don’t think the Flex brand met the sales expectations of Lowes or even Chevron itself. I think one of the primary reasons, like another comment pointed out, is that there were probably already too many power tool brands available before Flex came out including other Chevron made brands at Lowes. Flex was shooting for the higher end of the power tool market and trying to compete with the two big brands that lead that market. DeWalt and Milwaukee dominate the higher end of the market in the United States with excellent products and loyal customers. Attempting to go up against two dominate brands with huge product lines and loyal customers already using their battery platforms is not an easy task and Flex didn’t offer the extensive product line or anything that really stood out against the competition. By most accounts Flex tools were very good but didn’t really offer anything that made people want to switch from whatever brand or brands they were already using. I wouldn’t be surprised if the brand slowly disappears from the North American market completely.
Stuart
Lowe’s executive VP of merchandising was president and CEO of Chervon North America until they joined Lowe’s in 2018. I would think that Lowe’s and Chervon’s expectations for Flex would have matched up.
You’re suggesting that Flex was destined to fail, but I don’t think so.
Saulac
I think the opposite. I can’t think of a think of a new brand that establish itself as fast as Flex. But I agree that whatever the issue they are currently having could undo everything that they had done.
mattd
Flex definitely had a great marketing campaign when they first came out, especially with their social media partners. That said, do you actually know anyone that uses their tools? Maybe I walk in a weird circle, but I have never seen a flex tool actually being used outside of an online review.
IronWood
I work in the marine trades, in and out of boatyards, shipyards, shops of all kinds. I’ve never seen Flex anywhere. For cordless it’s Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, ryobi, HF brands, Rigid in roughly that order of frequency. Corded you can add Metabo (not HPT), skilsaw, old porter cable, and Fein.
Jared
I’m not sure it’s fair to judge Flex’s success against Dewalt and Milwaukee by how many you see on jobsites. Even if Flex has compelling offerings, yellow and red have been around much longer and are bound to be found in more toolboxes.
The tools don’t wear out that fast. I’ve still got, and use, my first li-on powered drill from 10 years ago. I have a more powerful one too, mind you, but I keep that old Bosch because it’s light.
Eric H Neste
Are you flex tools and I work construction. They work great and I hope they don’t take them off the market cuz I really like them way better than Makita Bosch or any of the others in my opinion
Eliot Truelove
I think Flex and these issues are a bit of a canary in the coal mine for many brands, including the big 3.
You’ve already made statements about financial uncertainty in regards to Makita, and now Flex, but I think many other brands will show a slump in sales for 2023 in North America of you look into it. It’s more the state of the world rather than the state of any company in general.
Most people dont have any money to spare for new tools, and when they do they tend to be very judicious with how and where they spend it.
We see pictures on forums and social media of guys buying tools and storage boxes and post about it, particularly influencers, but that certainly doesn’t reflect the norm. In fact, most make their posts because it is like their own personal Christmas and is a rare occasion. We see the posts though and we have the Fear Of Missing Out yet we can’t afford it.
There is a benefit to not overextending yourself though, which I think Flex did. They paradoxically have very little brand saturation yet made a big name and brand recognition for themselves very quickly. Everybody knows who they are but barely anyone has them, and if they do the tools aren’t consumables that need replacing so often so the ones who have them don’t need to get more.
I like Flex and it’s innovation, or rather the idea of it, but the name has always confused me because of Dewalts Flexvolt. Chervon should have went with the Skil name and marketed it with it’s same Grey look as the “Skil Pro24 Series” or “Skil Platinum” or something like that.
Ryan
Flex is an old German brand. Why would they change their name now? It would cause serious problems in their specialty segments (like polishing tools.) That would be akin to DeWalt’s name changing to Black and Decker Pro.
Eliot Truelove
Does the old German brand Flex batteries work on the newer Flex tools? I was under the impression this battery platform was only a few years old…
Stuart
No. The 24V Max system is brand new and non-compatible.
You can’t take the Flex 18V miter saw from Europe and power it with a Flex USA 24V Max battery.
Fahs
You are 100% spot on.
Repackaging Skil would have been a better move. Skil has a big platform and name recognition. I am wondering if Chevron was planning on a good (Skil), better (Kobalt), best (Flex) thing. It worked great for TTI and Harbor Freight. Has not worked well for Chevron.
There are a lot of great tool lines out there right now. It seems like we are headed for a tool apocalypse of some kind. Several brands will either shrink significantly or disappear entirely.
Stuart
Kobalt is a Lowe’s brand; it’s not owned by Chervon.
Nathan
I think someone else hit the mark though. No pros shop flex power tools and didn’t suddenly swap 9ver in two years. That realization and a battery issue coupled to the right timing. To pull low selling product that was priced too high and being out a new market sample just a guess
Thing is I imagine they are good items but I never considered one
Rich
As a Flex adopter, I would like to weigh in. A lot of what is being said here has a ring of truth to it, some of what is being said is a bit off base.
First of all, the company name is Chervon, not Chevron. I suspect auto-correct is guilty of that mistake in a lot of cases, so it is what it is.
Secondly, I absolutely agree Chervon would have been better off using the Skil or Skilsaw name in the US market. Flex may well be a 100 year old tool brand in Europe, but very few Americans would be familiar with the name. Additionally, some of their early marketing efforts were clumsy and turned off many potential customers. What’s more, the leaking batteries have been a disaster. Yes, they have fixed the issue, but some folks are going to give a “new” brand one chance and one chance only.
Flex has done a few things right, though. For a product line that has been on the shelves for less than three years, they have introduced a lot of tools. Some of those tool designs have been very clever. I’m thinking of the inline 6 1/2″ circular saw in particular. It’s fantastic. The line of sight is great. It feels good in the hand and moving the motor behind the blade has made it much more compact. It’s a great little saw and if there were one reason to switch or add platforms, it would be that saw. Other designs such as the locking collet on the trim router or the very compact sander have me thinking Chervon’s designers are on a roll.
I’m a bit unusual in that I am a pro consumer who deliberately avoided investing in a cordless platform for many years. I didn’t think cordless tools had enough power. Clearly that is changing across the board now, but I mention it because it is probably unusual to find a 55 year old pro who didn’t previously have a large investment in a cordless platform. When I decided I wanted to take the plunge I chose Flex and started with the inline saw. I haven’t regretted it, but Flex has been frustrating.
Their warranty has been excellent on the leaking batteries, but they have been slow to get the older, defective batteries off the shelves. We shouldn’t still be hearing about it. What’s more, I am concerned Chervon’s financial situation could cause them to back away from the Flex line. I guess time will tell.
IronWood
Interesting perspective, thanks for sharing your experience. I had forgotten about the original Flex brand, they made good grinders and vacuums as I recall. Sounds like Flex has some good design ideas, but they’re trapped in a brand that I think will continue to struggle.
Richard Graham
Flex is a good tool. The problem is heavy but solid tool. When you have Milwaukee and Dewalt making solid tools at half the weight. They also fail on the combos or lack of variety. Compare to Milwaukee and Dewalt. They also fail on smaller line like Milwaukee M12 or Dewalt atomic
Tony W
In the auto detailing world Flex is a well known brand. Yes went into Lowe’s to buy the promotion.
The associate told me the had them he had 3 in stock but on his hand held he said there was a stop sale. He said they got no memo of why and I guess they can’t sell if there is a stop sale. I was ready to buy them. Called Lowe’s corporate they said it was up to Store Manager. Store Manager said it was Flex talked to someone I know high up in Flex they said that they didn’t tell Lowe’s to put a stop sale. So I think Lowe’s isn’t being ran properly none of the managers have a straight answer. So I have to say this is a Lowe’s issue.
Stuart
That’s a different brand.
Chervon acquired the Flex brand in 2013 and then used the name to launch a brand new line of cordless power tools in 2021.
Michael F
It’s very odd to me that the official narrative in the US is that the economy is “fine” if not “great” while retailers and manufacturers are showing all the signs that consumer spending is in a recession. People aren’t spending as much money as in previous years. Anecdotally, I saw less Christmas decorations and heard less fireworks this year than any other year I’ve lived in this house. Did people get lazy, or did they tighten their grip on their wallets? Sales comes easy in an economy where people have expendable income.
PW
Anecdotes are like assholes… My neighborhood was flush with Christmas decorations, and my city saw enough (illegal) New Year’s explosions you could have thought there was an active military assault.
Objectively, consumer spending was up in the 2023 Holiday season. It was in line with recent historical norms for the last 20 years. The difference is, it was down from the pandemic years, when YoY numbers were out of whack.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/26/business/economy/christmas-holiday-spending-retail.html
It’s possible you are perceiving a return to “normal” as a “decline” after two prior years of record sales.
It’s also possible you’re seeing some tightening in some categories – electronics, for example, are down. I haven’t seen the numbers for tools broken out, but it would be unsurprising if people have pulled back. There was a pandemic frenzy in home improvement purchases that have fallen back to baseline.
But it’s definitely not true that broadly, “consumer spending is in a recession”, that’s just anti-factual.
Nathan
Ooooh do say the r word man
Yes we’ve been in a recession and it’s only going to get worse I think. But uhm
Honestly had flex tools been called ego they might have also done better. Ego has quite the ope rep.
fred
The old joke was that a Recession is when you are out of work – whereas a Depression is when I’m out of work. Consumer spending this past holiday season did not seem to indicate either one. While the stats are probably all not in yet – it’s been reported that consumer spending hit record levels – with increases in many categories. I’m not sure that those reported numbers have corrected for inflation. The consumer confidence index – was also reported to be up in December – but who knows. For me- living on my investments – I’m not the typical consumer – but I’ve been spending less even though my income has been ticking up.
Jim Felt
Exactly my perception too. General sales, overall, were up in 2023 across the board. I’m not even sure there’s any sign of the once noted “rolling recession” in this era.
As a side note perhaps people across industries are simply bought up to their needs? Do we all really need the newest Apple M3 chip? Or the very latest Milwaukee impact driver?
Robert
One version of the joke is: “If your neighbor is out of work, it’s a slow down. If you are out of work, it’s a recession. If the economist is out of work, then it’s defined as a depression.”
Perry
It’s weird though, many regional retailers are reporting closures or restructuring. Meeks lumberyards (owned by US-LBM) here in the west are re-branding many of their stores, Kelly Moore paints is closing stores and laying off at the corporate level.
I hear that spending is up but in construction, at least here in the west, layoffs, slowdowns and cutbacks are being reported.
fred
Like elsewhere in the country, my ex-compatriots experienced a boom during the Pandemic – particularly in the remodeling business. I’m told that things are much slower now. Inflation and higher interest rates – plus other homeowner spending priorities (like vacations that were out on hold) likely has cut into spending on houses. Such fluctuations always move along the whole supply chain.
Briancal
I have a few flex tools (hammer drill 6 1/2 circular saw and jobsite blower). I love all three and at the time I bought the. The pricing was too good to pass up. I have to say, in my opinion, any failure in sales has to do with promotion s that do not stack up against its competitors. They offer so might more during the holiday season at much better pricing. I was hoping to add another tool or two but have put my money elsewhere getting more bang for my buck. I am not invested in one platform as I am just a serious DIYer who just works around the house so I am able to run multiple platforms without it candle any issues.
M
I shared my story about Flex’s garbage batteries with a good fiend. He then shared this story/web site with me. (Good site by the way.)
Here’s my Flex horror story. I have always had good luck with my Makita tools, and reasonable results with Kobalt. I’d bought a number of Flex cordless tools through Lowes. One of these tools, a grinder (new out of the box with new batteries) would run about five minutes on a 5 amp hour battery. After several charges I noted the battery was leaking a dark, tar like substance on the battery charger. Lowes was of no help, claiming the purchase was past 90 days. Flex has falsely claimed that their batteries are high performing. I suspect a class action lawsuit is coming due to their material misrepresentations. What is a shame is the actual Flex tools had promise. I liked their cordless rear handle circular saw. It is light, and cuts well. But it is a boat anchor without a decent battery to run it. These Flex batteries remind me of why I hated cordless tools to begin with- after first trying the Skill brand of cordless tools about 20 years ago. Those cordless tools ran for about five minutes before the battery died. 20 years later, and there is no improvement with Flex.
MM
Flex has touted their battery warranty, which sounds solid, on paper anyway. Did they replace the the bad batteries or did they leave you stuck with them?
john anderson
I had 1 out 5 of my batteries leak. I called flex and had a new battery in less than 5 business days, I was directed to recycle the leaking battery at any recycling point. ( like Lowe’s/HD/Best Buy)
MM
I know a few people with Flex tools. Two of them have had the leaky battery issue, and both reported the same thing you did: they contacted Flex and received replacement batteries promptly. My understanding has been that while the leaky batteries are known, Flex has been good about replacing them under warranty. I’m curious if that has changed, but it doesn’t sound like it has.
M
MM, thank you for the suggestion. I bought the tools and set them aside- new in their boxes- for about six months before first use. Flex does not honor their promised warranty if the buyer didn’t register the product within 30 days of the purchase. So they win on a technicality despite the fact they sold defective batteries. A terrible way to treat their customers and a worse way to gain market share.
JR Ramos
M, I had to go look up their warranty details just now because the way you worded it would actually be illegal under US law. Looks like the 30-day registration is just for the extra perk of warranty extension – which is legal and many companies do something like this. If you don’t do it then you get a reduced (but still very decent) 3-year warranty and that appears to include all 24v tools, batteries, and chargers. I’m a little confused about their additional mention of a 5-year warranty and what that applies to but it’s the same deal where not registering keeps you on the 3-year warranty. The 12v and 18v are one-year without any perks for registering.
If they are failing to honor their warranty then maybe press them on it, make a phone call instead of e-contact, and they should take care of you unless there’s some truthful non-warrantable reason.
MM
@JR Ramos
My understanding is that you get a 3-year warranty by default (if you do not register), and you get a 5-year warranty if you do register. However, for the last few years, Flex has extended the 5-year period to “lifetime”.
JR Ramos
I suppose it’s good that nothing bigger is happening and the brand will remain in stores. But gosh what a cluster of a thing to do to consumers in the midst of the holiday season – that’s the kind of thing that can really stick with people and sour them on a brand or business and start the downward spiral.
This just reinforces my strong belief that these exclusivity agreements are generally a poor idea. Sometimes they work but so very often it’s only one or zero of the three parties involved that benefit. I don’t hate Lowe’s (any more or less than HD I guess) but if I were a manufacturer of a large line like this, I would be loathe to go into an agreement like that with them and put a lion’s share of my eggs into their haphazard basket. They just make too many mistakes in a variety of ways. Getting product into these huge chain stores is a windfall for sure, but it can be so fickle and many companies aren’t large enough to absorb those shifting winds within such a narrow distribution network (network?).
That said, Chervon could probably dispense with the entire Flex project and be fine…or give it a rebadge and facelift and be just as fine, with or without Lowe’s. This had to have been a terrible financial blow to them, though…ouch. It’ll be interesting to see how they fare this year (and Makita as well).
Jamie Lee Davis
I have invested heavily into Flex, but am lucky enough to have a VERY deep Milwaukee M12 collection. So much so, that as long as M12 batteries are available, I will never need another power tool….. EVER! Having said that, I really am fond of Flex. The turbo hammer is a BEAST! I have two of the inline saws, and the multi tool is super nice. I have the entire core tool collection and love it. I really hope Flex ( and Makita ) bounce out of this funk.
Robert
I have several flex tools which I really like – only complaint I have is they are heavy compared to dewalt / milwaukee etc. The battery life and charge times are second to none – I use them installing megalugs and pipe fittings on utilities- rarely during the day we ever have to change batteries- the 1/2 in impact has incredible torque – but to be honest I rarely see others with the flex brand around either – just my opinion
Jennifer
I got given the stack pack; sawzall; impact; drill; Hammer drill combo unit (daughter don’t know tools 🤷); oscillating tool; flashlight; a big battery& fast charger; 2 or 3 regular batteries; and 2 reg chargers.
Batteries leak itit might be the rubber melting as the stuff is black when they are left outside.. when temp controlled they are fine.
Sarah
Hi, I work at lowes and the reason we are pulling the Flex tools off of shelves is due to multiple recalls we’ve been getting. I have no idea why employees won’t tell you or lowes themselves won’t tell you.
MM
I have seen the word “recall” thrown around in online discussion, but nobody has posted any specifics yet. Normally when there is a recall, in the true sense of the word, there is some published document explaining what specific names and model number(s) are being recalled and what the reason is. For example, see CPSC-issued recalls here:
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls
Lowes typically posts recall notices on a bulletin board near the entrance to the store and/or near the customer service desk. I haven’t seen anything like that pertaining to Flex, and I had an opportunity to check at my local Lowe’s yesterday while I was waiting for a family member to do a return. There was information about some heaters, the Klein power station, a pressure washer, etc, but no mention of Flex. They also have a recalls section on their website, there is no mention of Flex:
https://www.lowes.com/l/help/recalls-and-product-safety
I think that, at least right now, people are using the term “recall” to casually refer to how Lowes pulled the merchandise from store shelves, but there does not seem to be any formal recall issued by the CPSC, Lowes, or Flex.
LK
The items are being recalled from the distributor not recalled from consumers which is why there is a lack of consumer facing notices.
This is not a safety recall.
Stuart
They’re not being recalled from the distributor.
It doesn’t seem like a safety issue, but so far Flex has ignored every question I’ve asked about the “leaking battery” matter, which is not a good sign.
Lowe’s not including Flex in their Black Friday sales flyers is at least as unusual as inventory being pulled a month prior to a major promo’s advertised end date. We don’t know if they’re connected or how closely.
Elizabeth Raftery
Hmmmm… saw this article — Lowe’s Dumped Older Flex Cordless Power Tools — on ToolGuyd (clever play on guide, btw) today when I came back to this site to see if there was a reply to the comment I posted here yesterday under “New Email Scams Promise Free Makita and Milwaukee Tools” (September 19, 2022 by Stuart). Maybe the email supposedly from Lowe’s that I commented about (“Customer feedback has always helped us improve the Home Improvement experience. Click through to take a quick 4 minute survey and receive a fantastic prize” the prize showing as a FLEX 4-Tool Combo Kit, wasn’t a scam email after all … in any case, not going to test the link!!
Stuart
You were right the first time – that had all of the signs of a scam.
Elizabeth Raftery
I was looking over that email again after my most recent post above and compared it with a real Lowe’s email … yup, signs, very small signs, but there none the less … it was really good at the imitation!! Scanning my laptop like crazy now!! (And, I did forward the email to the APWG last night!!) Thanks for your input! 😊
Charles Woodworker and Electrician
This is disheartening. I am a long time woodworker, and I purchased 2 Flex circular saws from Lowes. I love the saws, they are my favorite power tools!
The quality of the Flex saws, in terms of how quiet the motors are, and how accurate the saws are, far exceeds Milwaukee. I have always owned Milwaukee, but was forced to buy Flex, after getting 2 bad Milwaukee saws with misaligned footplates from Home Depot, model #2732 right hand drive circular saws.
Both Flex circular saws I bought, cut perfect cuts, with no burning or blade marks, and they are both very smooth, with no vibration and with pleasant sounding motors. The Flex saws sound better than the Milwaukee, and don’t have the loud gear whine that the Milwaukee had.
I’ve had zero issues with the batteries.
Chervon, you need to do a better job promoting your tools, and not just take them away.
Consider:
1.) Multiple color options. People like colors, and there’s no reason to only have 1 single color. You will reach a wider demographic with different colors.
2.) Offer full transparency and a press conference to address the old leaking batteries. Tesla Inc., has showed what transparency does. Honesty leads to trust, and trust leads to billions in sales.
3.) Keep making your tools.
4.) Copy Dewalt’s 12 volt form factor with everything “scaled down” to a tinier size. Don’t do the short “fat” handle like Milwaukee M12 tools. Some of us are not Scandinavian Vikings like Brock Lesnar.
5.) Patience. You need to be patient. Giving up before you’ve had a chance to repair the public reputation damage done through the leaking battery problems, is not a proper business strategy. Dammit, you have our support!